The Manor of the Fallen Star
by RexRock
Summary: It was a cold winter's night blowing across Spargus, where the city's king (Damus) and an ottsel companion (Crista) traverse a haunted mansion for the purpose of Metal Head hunting... but what is the hunted? (Please R&R!)
1. Reflection

-AUTNOR NOTES-

Okay, so Advent has managed to turn around to here, and it's for this occasion that I have a new fanfic ready to upload for the wait until Christmas!

First of all, I'll tell you a lil bit about it. _The Manor of the Fallen Star_ is a Spargus related piece of fiction based in the Jak universe. Even though most of the scenery will be familiar to Jak 3 gamers (which I won't even get the chance to play until coming home for Christmas in two weeks time), the star himself isn't the one that's making a key appearance in this.  
The tale follows two residents of Spargus - King Damus, a bold and determined ruler for his residence, and Crista Tasai, an ottsel that has resided within the city for a few years. Together, they follow into another mission relating to the Metal Heads - going into a ruined mansion on the far side of the city, where their attacks have been frequenting there recently for an unknown purpose.  
It may not sound very Christmassy to begin with, but I can assure you that with the amount of emotion being bottled towards Crista's side, it will become more than just a tale of peace and goodwill to all men. o.O

So, I hope you can sit back and enjoy what I have done here!

Peace out,

-Rexy-

---

Spargus City was shown to be a pleasant settlement within the wastelands, a fair distance or so from the borders of its nearest neighbor Haven City. The crimson skies started to settle peacefully over the tall, sand-like buildings, camouflaged within the sands that blew underneath them.

The people that walked around the citizens were mainly male, bearing wastelander-like garb and walking around like no one's business. Some people were seen holding onto Metal Head trophies, proud of what they have managed to accomplish for the day.

Hidden within the crowd was a smaller shadowed figure, walking around with its long hair flowing behind its back. It soon managed to walk its way underneath one of the spotlights, showing herself to be a small blonde creature. She showed her green eyes towards the skies, revealing an expression of unease upon her.

"What the Hell do you want with me?" she asked in a bitter tone.

With a quick reaction, she then started to run further down the street, keeping herself within the shadows once more. It wasn't long until she dashed her way down one of the nearby back alleys, revealing herself underneath a stronger sense of spotlights around her.

Within the light, she was shown to be an ottsel figure with black tribal-like markings upon her face and a red curved crown, with its front cuff snapped off somehow. Her ears held metal cuffs as well as a few additional markings to match. A golden necklace went round her neck, bearing the crescent of the sun upon it. And to match, she had blue arm warmers with plates of armor attached to them as well as cyan gloves upon her arms.

-A FAN FICTON PRODUCTION-

She then started to run even faster, towards one of the higher ends of the city, as marked by a giant palace standing within the distance. Leaving small footprints within the ground, with the sand picking up under her feet, her determination to run seemed to end up greater as time managed to pass.

Eventually, she looked behind her, seeing closely into the skies around her. Again, her eyes started to shrink with panic, leaving her to turn off into a backstreet with fear upon her own two eyes. Her teeth were then placed together into a snapping motion upon them.

"You can tell I've been feeling isolated within the regions of Spargus before I even started out, so knock it off!"

Her shout echoed right across the back alley she was brought upon, almost belling out across the wastelands themselves as they managed to do so. With enough shock, she managed to run out of the backstreet and further towards the palace, her eyes showing more pain than before.

For now, no one knew where she was running from, or what she had to hide from the people around her. In fact, her bottled moods left her to feel even more angered over the period of time that slowly managed to pass between her furry fingers.

-A story by Rexy-

She then managed to run towards the right, leaving a deeper skid mark within the sands as she did so. She then brought up her head, looking closer into the sunset skies upon her; by that time, they slowly started to transform into a more starlit gesture around her.

One in particular started to reflect with a white and gold variation. And it was there that her eyes were almost mesmerized at the sight of it, leaving her to make a stop. Several seconds passed, before she brought her head down and brought her eyes towards you.

"You really want me to explain everything to you?" she asked with light panic.

She remained in silence, while raising an eyebrow during her posture. More silence managed to pass, before she eventually un-froze from her position, and started to walk her way among the path ahead of her. A small crossroad could be seen in front of her.

She looked on at the palace-like building, as shown at the left hand side of the crossroad. It stood majestically in the night sky, showing a long shadow trailing behind it, with the sands around it giving off a warm crimson glow around the foundations.

-THE MANOR OF THE FALLEN STAR-

She then walked carefully towards it, while keeping her eyes focused upon the glowing stars ahead of her at the same time. Her tail then started to drag itself on the floor, causing a light trail upon the ground as she walked further ahead of herself.

The stars were then shown to provide a radiant glow within her emerald green eyes. During that time, her hands started to shake at the sight of it, knowing that she would eventually have to speak again. She then looked towards you and managed to stand still.

"Okay", she sighed. "I'll sit down and explain everything to you."

And thus, she went towards a nearby rock on the other side of the footpath and sat down, with her back leaning against it. Her tail then wrapped itself hard against it, leaving her to show a more insecure expression as she managed to get herself in a comfortable position.

"Apparently, I never was an ottsel for all my life", she started. "I was once a real humanoid, just like my peers around Spargus."

She pointed ahead of her, seeing into a lot of humanoid creatures walking around the wastelands. They looked almost identical to human beings themselves, except that their ears were long and pointed outwards, as well as backwards for the cases of some of which.

"They often saw me for the invisible animal, often shunted by the others around me", she said with a lower toned voice. "If only if the Metal Heads didn't constantly poke their heads around them, things would have been so much more different."

She then sighed, and looked down at a nearby puddle drying off against the sands, showing a reflection of herself. The stars soon gave off a light glow above her, almost showing a reflection of her humanoid form as she did so; almost similar to her present form to match.

"They even changed my life too", she continued with a frown. "They were known for a fateful incident seven years ago, when they shunted me into a pool of dark eco. That cost me my career, my friends, and most importantly... the people I knew back home."

She sighed, before bringing out a foot and causing a ripple among the water. She then looked up, her face almost showing worry upon her own two eyes. Time soon passed, and she stood up once more, walking closer and closer towards the palace as she managed to do so.

It didn't take too long until she reached the doorways leading into the palace. Once there, she remained calm, and brought her back against the wall. Again, she brought her eyes towards you while maintaining her usual nostalgic expressions.

"Yes, before you ask, I did try to come back to my old home in this state. Trouble is, by the time I got there, things were already nasty as they are now."

She looked down onto the ground, with her ears drooping down the back of her head. At that point she gave out a long sigh, looking as if she had thoughts in her head that she couldn't extinguish. A small tear then started to run down her cheek, falling down upon the sands below.

---

A few years beforehand, the desert wastelands between Spargus and Haven were shown to be in a more frantic state. Lightning struck every few seconds, and chilling blue-indigo skies were shown everywhere, creating tension and unease towards anyone who would walk in it.

Outside the borders of Haven City itself, the yellow ottsel herself showed her head towards the city itself, seeing purple "firework" like lights shining out from above it. She then ran towards a crack in the wall, and squeezed herself inside as carefully as possible.

_"Haven City was where I once lived before coming over here. From my time as a nurse at its hospital, I then grew strength to strength during the rule of Baron Praxis, one of my later patients. This was even more so when I first joined in his defense position as Krimzon Guard Captain, as gratitude for saving his life ona pastMetal Head ambush."_

She brought herself out from the walls, looking on at the scenery ahead of her. The port was shown, with its waters reflecting the scenery above it at such a ferocious status. Once near the edge, she made her way onto a small raft and paddled her way towards the gravel on the other side.

_"Problem was, this wasn't at all like a past Metal Head ambush. They were picking away at pipes like no tomorrow, chewing away on citizens and KG alike... almost terrorizing the place!"_

She had her own fair problems with trying to fend off against sharks that tried to chew away on her own boat. For that, she used one of her hands to try and slap them senseless, while using the other to continue paddling onwards, her face almost showing frustration.

Time soon passed, and she managed to be able to reach the banks of the city. Once there, she dived underneath a Krimzon Guard's gunshot, striking a nearby Metal Head onto the ground seconds later. Seeing the action in mind, she started to run her way in the direction of the Industrial section.

_"They even had me cornered too! I too often worried to myself on whether I would try to break out alive or not."_

She then ran around a few corners... and even there, she noticed that some of the Metal Heads started to run towards her, desperate to pick against her skin. She gave out a scream, before she started to run on all fours, picking up a faster pace than the usual.

_"And yet... there was a voice that I heard that made me think twice about what has happened."_

"If the city must die", shouted a growled male voice from a distance, "then we all die!"

_"My ears pricked up. I ran deep into the Industrial section, with Metal Heads scratching me being the last thing on my mind. The streets became darker and darker, and yet the rubble became more intense."_

As soon as she made a turn towards a ramp into the higher ends of the section, some of the rubble started to crash down upon her, causing a few more ruins to show around her. One dead end was formed, causing her to dash back the way she came.

And yet, as soon as she got there, another set of rubble fell upon the ground, leaving her to be trapped within her own cramp space. That left her to run towards the only exit left - a wall. She brought out both hands, and tried to climb up... but it wasn't long until a few Metal Heads came to her and shot straight at a gutter hanging vertically near her, causing her to fall inside the walls for herself due to its force and impact.

_"And thus, they had to corner me in the most impossible spot yet."_

She landed hard on her back, seeing Metal Heads trying to attack her from the outside as she did so, whether it is their claws trying to reach her or their staff magic trying to shoot its way towards her. That left her to cower in the darkness, trying to keep far away from their attacks as possible.

She tried to keep cover by bringing out a torn blanket, wrapping it around her legs as she managed to do so. The sight of the raging Metal Heads were shown in front of her, creating a horrific image in front of her and providing a worrying thought to mind upon her.

_"With the way they were trying to pick at me I thought I would never come out alive. This left me hopeless, knowing that Haven City has faced the worst. Whatever happened to the shield walls, I kept saying to myself. I really needed answers, even if it was from the smallest stranger."_

At some instances, the blasts as granted by the Metal Heads' mystical staffs almost singed her tail, causing her to scream and bring herself even further back. By then, her expressions of fear continued to be maintained throughout her position within the darkness.

She looked on towards the spots where the gun was blasting towards, and yet, with every shot given off some light rubble started to fall from the top of the cramp space. And before long, the plaster from that section fell apart, showing a route back into the city once more.

_"Alas, there was hope."_

The falling of the walls from above left her to smile peacefully and advance to frantically bringing herself out from her position. The Metal Heads continued to shoot away at her, while she continued to make the climb out, wanting to escape from their never ending torture.

As soon as she got out, she brought herself outside under the moonlight, showing relief now that Metal Head attacks were far from her viewpoint. But yet... the first thing she saw upon escape was a blue blur lying upon a ruin that was once a construction site.

_"Yet in reality, everything had to be turned into a nightmare."_

"Oh my God", she quivered. "What happened to you?"

The ruins portrayed were almost beyond comprehension. Eco barrels were scattered everywhere, wooden planks were left around the floor, a useless bomb was shown in the middle, and towards the left of the wreckage was a familiar figure... one she failed to see for years beforehand.

She ran towards it, and looked on at the figure for herself as soon as she got there. Metal plating covered one side of his face, as did a brown moustache-and-goatee combo that ran near his mouth. His body was covered by a navy coat garment of sorts, covered with sashes and armor. And to match... he looked lifeless.

"Praxis", the ottsel started to shriek at a high pitched tone, "It's me, Crista!"

She took a hold of his metallic blue neck brace, and struggled with all of her might to lift his head towards her level. After five seconds, the force brought upon her caused her to give up, leaving her to bring her face above his. By then, she started to look very distraught.

"Listen to me! I know you can!" Her ears both pricked up with tension. "Tell me, what has happened upon our fallen city?"

Her eyes started to show a lot of pain upon her at that moment in time. That eventually left her to bring her ears closer towards his chest. And yet... the most horrific sight was brought upon her hearing range. No heartbeat. No motion. Nothing. Her eyes widened with shock.

"Baron... Praxis?"

She gave off a light blink, before she managed to stand upright on her position, looking closer onto the Baron's body as she managed to do so. A feeling of loss was soon brought around her face, leaving her to look down with disappointment showing upon her own eyes.

Several seconds later, she ended up bringing her arms around one portion of his chest, and buried her face deep within it. There, she managed to let her emotions loose, allowing a stream of tears to fall from her fur to match with the falling rain around her.

_"It was then that I knew that Haven has faced a critical moment in its running, and it hasn't stopped since."_

The clashing of the Krimzon Guard against the Metal Heads were still heard from her position, but even from there, all that her ears would bother to pick up was the empty feeling of silence that started to surround her from her current state of mind.

Moments started to fill her own mind; the final few stitches that kept her return to Haven City going were long gone. It felt as if she wanted to crumple up next to him and die herself, but even there... she had to realize that life had to go on, whatever the cost.

---

The time scale soon switched back to the present, where Crista managed to bring her head back up, trying her best to pull the memories of what has been brought past behind her. The star lit skies started to show a deeper reflection upon her ruined crown, eyes and pendant.

She then looked down, taking a hold of the pendant as she managed to do so. She held it up into the air, and opened it up, showing a few photos of herself and a few people she knew in the Krimzon Guard. She sighed, before closing it and looking down.

"So let's put it this way", she sighed. "Haven City has faced a lot of Hell since its storming. Even when I did find out that new management is slowly putting it back in its place I still can't help but feel broken by the loss of the one thing that kept me going."

She scraped her hands upon the sand, almost drawing a few stick figures of a small miniature army marching around a neighborhood. And to the right of them, she drew stick figures of herself, Praxis, and a smaller figure in a racing costume.

"The chance to see the old Krimzon Guard force together, one more time."

She sighed, while bringing a more worried expression upon her. During that moment in time, she managed to look down at her drawing in the sand, seeing into the stick-figured racer brought into the image. She gave off one last blink, before looking up towards the sky.

"Now that I think of it", she curiously spoke with an eyebrow raised, "wonder how Erol's been since I last saw him? One can hope he's grown into a rather sophisticated young gentleman. Or has he?"

"Crista, get over here!"

Her ears both pricked up at the sight of the male scream, leaving her to look on at the doors of the palace with her own eyes. The doors slightly opened up, allowing a stream of darkness to show from the inner hallways. She then gave out a brief nod, before looking ahead with a near grim expression.

"King Damus", she whispered to herself.

She took one step inside, with another foot soon following. And from then, she was walking through a long hallway covered by darkness. The lights as projected by Precursor artifacts hanging on the walls were the only sources of light granted to show the way through towards the main room ahead of her.

It wasn't long until she reached the end of the hallway, when her attention was brought over to a nearby throne room. Standing in the middle of it was a tanned figure, with white dreadlocks and wastelander clothing brought all around him. He twitched one of his supposedly pupil-less eyes, and looked on at the blonde ottsel that entered his den.

"Your highness!"

She took a step forward and gave out a gracious bow in front of him, trying to maintain a more cheerful expression as she managed to do so. During that time, Damus paid attention to her own eyes, looking beyond there and trying to see the truth as shown through them.

"You know, maybe I shouldn't have underestimated you during your time here", he said with a smirk on his face. "I can imagine how hard it could be to roam around this city, being the only ottsel and all."

"You understand me?" she asked.

Damus's face soon turned into a confident smile. While he was there, he steadily walked towards her, his boots causing light steps upon the marble floors that went underneath their feet. As soon as he got there, he managed to crouch down towards her level, looking on at her eyes.

With a gracious approach, he brought out one of his hands, causing Crista to reach out for it herself. He brought out another hand, causing her to be lifted off her feet and placed against his shoulder, creating a comfortable riding position for her.

"How are you feeling this fine evening?" the king asked her.

"Not as good as the previous few, I'm telling you."

"Hm", Damus pondered with a straight face. "I wish I could associate with you on that level, but as of now, we don't have the time to explain much."

He walked towards the door, and brought out one of his hands, pushing them open in an instant. A chilling outside wind surrounded them, as he soon started to walk down the hallways briskly... before jogging... before running! By that stage, Crista struggled to maintain her balance upon her position, leaving her to hold onto one of her partner's ears for balance.

"We really don't have time!" Damus said with panic. "I'll explain everything when I get there!"

Crista showed an expression of confusion. "So much for the sympathetic response call!"

Crista tried to say more, but it wasn't long until the bumpy ride almost caused her to almost slip down from her position, leaving her to hold onto her partner's ears at a stronger force while maintaining a more painful expression upon her. That left Damus to show a face full of care as he continued to walk further.

While they walked past the Precursor artifacts, most of them started to glow orange with a mysterious energy brought around them. That left Damus to look on at them with a light smile upon his face as he did so, knowing that his journey was to be a guided one.

And then, they both ended up out in the open air, looking on at the scenery around them. Even for his own eyes, Spargus was shown to be a beautiful city at night, strongly reflected by the buildings and emptiness on the streets. Bearing the scenery in mind, he started to sprint across from one side of the settlement to the other, his face showing a snarling gesture upon his teeth.

---

At a location on the opposite section of the city, a small ruined building stood firm, with its wooden doors on its hinges and its roofs almost crumbling into pieces. Windows were shown to be broken, and a few metal plates were seen all around the floor.

The building itself was almost as big as Damus's palace, but even here, size couldn't be determined due to the ruins that were brought around the area. What was more, a few golden sparks started to show on the walls, adding a more energetic feeling towards it for reasons unknown.

A small sign post was set up outside, carved in precursor writing "The Manor of the Fallen Star", which almost started to fall off from its own position. Near it, both Crista and Damus were seen walking towards the door that lead inside, focusing towards that structure as they did so.

"Over the past week or so, I've noticed Metal Head movements going around an old mansion on the outskirts of the city", he whispered. "No one has lived in that house since it was first built, but even there it's been riddled with supernatural life forces fairly recently."

"You mean ghosts?" Crista asked him in return.

"I wish I could say that, but... anything could go."

Damus gave off a light sigh, before walking closer towards the door. At that time, the radiance given off by its handle started to show within his eyes. During that stage, all that Crista could do was almost hide in position behind her partner's shoulders.

"I'm trying to figure out what made that house so special to the Metal Heads to begin with", he whispered. "It seems as if they really want anything to do with us, but what?"

"Knowing them it could be dark eco", she said back, "but the nearest eco well is about a few miles from here! How is that possible?"

"I don't know, but it's best to go in there and check it out. With dusk only just gone, I see now to be the best chance."

She brought up her head and gave off a light nod, leaving Damus to give off a sly smiling expression towards her as he managed to do so. Then, he soon managed to reach for the handle himself, almost destined to see what was waiting behind its ruined carving.

And then, he took a hard grasp around the handle for himself, showing a light smile as he did so. He then turned back towards Crista with a determined approach showing upon his own face. Yet she in return tried to pull off a brave face as he looked back.

"Are you ready?"

She gave off a light nod while trying to maintain a joyful expression. Yet what Damus didn't notice was that behind him, her tail was shaking like jelly, showing that Crista's emotions are developing a strong sense of fear upon her body. And thus... he took a step forward into the hallways.

Unlike the palace, there was no Precursor artifacts established upon the walls; the only sign of light was shown from a few Metal Head skull gems lying upon the ground. That left them both to hold onto one another as they went further and further ahead.

A meter inside it, and it was there that darkness almost totally covered them. All that can be seen are light reflections showing upon their bodies, as granted by the minimal lighting sources provided from the inside. While they went further on, Crista's ears twitched themselves to be at imbalanced levels.

"Wow, it looks a bit... dark, to say the least", she said with a quiver in her throat.

"I can understand what you mean", replied Damus as he brought his head towards hers.

She then soon managed to jump down from his shoulder, her eyes focusing towards the walls. The skull gems lighting the way made things feel a little bit on the obvious side, but... it was something else that soon managed to capture her attention... but what?

"Crista, where are you going?" asked Damus with a raised tone. "We could easily get lost in this place!"

She blushed to herself. "I'm sorry sir."

She turned back towards his direction, bringing her ears in a slightly pointing motion upon her. He then took a steady walk towards him, showing a more curious expression through her two eyes. Once she was two inches ahead of him, she came to a stop.

Once there she brought out her hands and pointed towards the scenery behind her. Showing there were a few objects, currently standing in darkness. She gave out a light smile before pointing further on towards them, Damus giving off an eye twitch towards them.

"It's just that..." she sighed, "I saw something strange back there."

She pointed on at the walls once more, causing Damus to start walking his way towards the scenery for himself. During that time, he managed to reach for a skull gem from the ground, using that as his light source for the walls that stood ahead of him.

And yet, right in front of him he noticed a few unusual objects that stood in front of him - a board of wood. And being placed upon it, several plaques with metallic monstrous faces were shown on them. They looked so familiar to the eyes of Damus, leaving him to come to a sudden conclusion.

"Metal Head trophies on the wall?"

Crista then ran up his shoulders, taking a hold of the skull gem as he looked on at the gems for himself. He brought out one of his hands, and knocked upon the surface; it felt so warm, yet at the same time it felt slimy and unwelcoming to the touch.

"They're... freshly hung?" Damus blinked.

"Does that mean... there's someone living here?"

She lifted the skull gem up towards her chin, leaving a warm light to show upon her face, almost to match with the same radiance as shown upon Damus's. Both of them looked at one another, exchanging grim looks with one another, uncertain about what has managed to happen.

And then, they both started to walk away from the trophies, keeping their attention locked onto it with their faces starting to twitch with fear every few seconds. They started exchanging glances with one another, curious over what has been granted out there.

"Might as well try to hold back while we keep progressing onwards", he said quietly.

"Yes sir."

She nodded, before she jumped her way off Damus's shoulder. Once on the ground, she held up the skull gem, leaving him to take a hold onto it. Thus, they had an instant flashlight guiding them straight down the hallway portrayed right in front of them.

During that time, a few golden sparks started to show upon the walls to the right, advancing from ruined portrait to ruined portrait. Eventually, they managed to focus upon one of which; that of a black haired woman holding onto a set of roses in her own hands.

The eyes of the portrait stealthily looked on at both Crista and Damus, steadily making their way across down the hallway with a lot of attention to keeping a close eye upon one another as time has managed to follow. The portrait then suddenly started to smirk from its own mouth, before speaking with a faint, whispery... masculine voice.

"A couple of visitors?"

The sparks advanced further ahead from that portrait before moving onto another; that for a daffodil standing in a plant pot, on a window sill, with broad daylight showing upon it. Two eyes started to form deep within the petals, continuing to focus upon both travelers.

The eyes then focused onto one person alone - Crista herself. Her blonde hair moved gracefully down her back as she walked, leaving the eyes on the flower to show curiosity. It then developed a small mouth to lightly whisper with the same tone it provided on the previous painting.

"I can sense something in her... something that I once knew of before I came here... but what?"

The sparks then vanished from the daffodil and soon focused on the other side of the wall. There, a darker hallway was seen, illuminated with nothing but the moonlight as shown by some light cracks on the plaster on the other side of the pathway.

A rodent-like shadow soon formed out from the sparks, and from there, it started to walk so that only the left hand side of its body can be seen. A small red eye was made out upon its face, looking upon a nearby shadowed image hung upon a nearby wall.

"Can that be her? How is that possible?"

It advanced closer towards the picture, and showed its full potential upon the left hand side of it, the only side to be covered in moonlight. The figure itself was shown to be Crista's humanoid form, taking a hold onto someone's shoulder that looked difficult to make out given the weak lighting conditions.

The figure's eye was then shown to be in a more curious state than before. He then gave out a deep breath in, almost confused of the situation around him. For that, he continued to hover further ahead in the path, hoping to take a closer focus towards the blonde ottsel herself.

Thus, it seemed as if the shadowed rodent was familiar with Crista before, yet how and where, as well as who he is, was yet to be known to herself. With considerations to the mission as granted by Damus, it seemed as if she may never think of knowing such questions.

-end of part 1-


	2. Rendezvous

-AUTHOR NOTES-

Okay, so who cares if I didn't receive a review to begin with? I at least appreciate the people who actually took their time to view the story. ;

Anyhow, it's time we advanced to the next part in line. The exploration mission for Damus and Crista lead further into the lighter core of the mansion. It's there that the Metal Heads' (failed) attacks on the building are shown. I also wanted to expose on the figure of the shadow as shown at the end of the chapter; thus, cue in a few of those "visions from the afterlife" moments.

It's gradually starting out to be more Christmassy as of now due to the decorations implied, and its heart is also growing as far as I can see. Just you wait. ;)

Anyhow, be sure to take your time and go through the chapter. Reviews are still appreciated! :D

Peace out,

-Rexy-

---

Time passed, and it wasn't long until the hallways suddenly started to get brighter and brighter. That left the expressions for Crista and Damus to be eliminated in a more white light, as they knew that there could be something waiting for them at the end of the path.

There stood two more doors, slightly open, leaving a small stream of light energy to show through them. In an instance, Damus walked towards it and used his hands to slightly push them open, leaving the sights of the next room to creep upon their own eyes.

Once there, they were greeted into a giant room as greeted by a staircase leading into a higher balcony onto the left, and a smaller door leading towards the right. The room was decorated with bright silver tinsel, and white pyre flies were seen flying around the area.

"Would you look at that?"

Damus continued to expect his surroundings, seeing closer towards the tinsel... and another object that was established near the staircase. There was a green tree structure, covered in tinsel, lights and baubles, standing firmly in a brown-orange metallic pot.

"Now who in their right mind would set up a pine tree in the middle of a haunted house?" he smirked to himself. "Looks very suspicious."

He gave off a light twitch of the eye, before he started to inspect the tree. From what he saw, most of its structures resembled that for your average Christmas tree, making things difficult to analyze. He then walked behind the back of it, looking closer into what has been provided.

And yet, all he saw was a cable leading into a socket near one of his feet, providing the eco energy for the lights. He gave off a light blink, before he walked around the other side, looking confused over the state of the tree. Meanwhile, Crista stood there smiling.

"Look up there!"

She pointed up towards the top of the tree, leaving Damus to show his attention towards a small star-shaped object at the top. It looked glittery in structure and shone in time with the lights, but its unusual eco-like colors left Damus to blink at the sight of it.

"A purple star?"

"How can it be possible?" Crista asked. "And... what's the point of its presence within this mansion?"

"I'm not sure, but it's best if we can keep going to find out."

Damus brought his attention towards Crista, whom gave out a twitch of the ears back at him. He then looked back towards the top of the tree, bringing some closer attention towards the star and its more unusual structures that were brought around it.

Even though its main shade seemed to be purple, various slabs of indigo, black, blue, lilac and white also shone among it. The shades of Eco, he managed to think to himself. With a curious eye shift, he brought his eyes back towards his partner, with a light answer showing in his mind.

"Do you suppose that is another dark eco crystal hanging up there or what?" he asked her.

"Might have been, but I'm not entirely sure."

During that time, Crista managed to walk her way towards the stairs, climbing her way up a few steps and eventually finding a position on the slope so that she was standing almost level with the star. She brought out a hand to try and touch it, but as soon as she did... she pulled her hand away from it and its freezing textures.

She then managed to run further up the stairs, taking a close look towards the tree from a higher angle. From down below, Damus started to show a devious smirk upon his own face, knowing that he may earn a fair amount of light knowledge behind the ordeal.

"Those Metal Heads seem to know what they want, but it may take a while before they could ever reach it."

He gave off a light chuckle to himself, before he started walking towards the smaller door to the right of the entrance. Once there, he ended up showing a strong posture, before bringing his attention to Crista from his position. Her expression then started to show curiosity.

"Should that be proven to be the case", he said with a determined look, "you should take the left alley towards the ballroom. I'll go closer into the hallways on the right. Got it?"

Crista gave out a light nod, before looking at her position from the balcony overlooking the scene. Ahead of her, down the stairs was the set of doors that she and Damus came out of before. She then looked to the right, and saw a single door, covered by golden plating.

"Good", Damus nodded. "Now let's get moving."

She quickly turned towards Damus, but when she did so... he was already gone, going down the hallway with a lot of determination. That left her to give off a curious glance towards the ballroom doors, where she started to walk towards them with a twitchy glance showing upon her own eyes.

Once there, she opened the doors, ready to bring herself into another darkened hallway ahead of her. But as she did so, a few pyre flies ended up flying inside, granting some elements of light to guide her way through. Once that was done, she went inside, leaving the door to come to a close on its own.

As soon as that was done, silence was soon brought around the room once more, leaving only the pyre flies to start stirring. The star was seen glowing within them, allowing several radiances of light to show within the room and adding a comfortable essence around the pine tree, standing majestically in its position.

---

It wasn't long until Crista managed to reach another door in the hallway, and it was there that she ended up seeing into its basic red wood stained features upon it. Once there, she used her hands to slightly push them open, ready to see what was on the other side.

Her eyes were greeted by a ballroom structure, with the use of red curtains falling around the room, along with gentle yellow spotlights that shone on an empty dance floor nearby. There, she gave out a curious twitching motion before she started walking towards it.

She was then a few meters away from the spotlights when she saw something peculiar shining within them; a set of golden sparks flying within the wind. They soon reflected upon her eyes, showing a lot of piece for her. It wasn't long until the sparks soon managed to come together, and started spinning around in a hurricane motion.

"What the-!" she screamed.

The gale then started to spark with a series of white, gold, brown and yellow lighting, before eventually forming the shape of a figure within it. She managed to take cover behind a nearby chair, looking on at the transformation taking place right in front of her.

And there, the shape then started to show itself as a shadow - an ottsel type shadow. The same one that spied on them earlier. He then gave off an honest blink before bringing his attention towards her, his one red eye giving off an essence of warmth towards her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The ottsel figure then walked out from the spotlight, showing himself in full motion under the more natural lights. He was shown to be an ottsel with brown fur, hovering in the air with a spiritual essence around him, almost the same height as Crista.

He then brought his face into the light, and revealed some metallic headgear covering the right hand side of his face as well as a part of one of his own ears. A red cape was brought around his shoulders, almost hiding the main portions of his lower face to match.

"More like..." she gulped, "What ARE you?"

The specter didn't raise a mouth to speak. Instead, he continued to hover towards her direction, wanting to take a closer look towards her. During that time, some of his cape slipped from his mouth position, revealing a light moustache gesture just underneath his nose, running from one side of the face to the other.

That left Crista to blink further on towards him, unsure about what the ottsel could provide for her. His main features may seem unwelcoming to her, but yet... his appearance felt so relaxed and pleasant, something that could almost relax tension within her.

And yet, he managed to give off a warm smile towards her. For that, she widened her eyes and took cover, still feeling uncertain over what the ghost would do to her. She then crawled under a few rows of seats, in a hope that she would be able to hide away from him.

---

Back with Damus, he was shown to make his way down another darkened tunnel that lead from the main room. His footsteps were then gracefully positioned upon the ground, giving off light elements of noise that nearly rung through his own two ears.

The moonlight that came out from the cracks to the walls to the left of him shone down upon the minimal hallways that were brought around him, leaving him to take a cautious stroll through the setting for himself, holding onto various sides of the wall if need be.

Then, his focus was soon brought onto a small wreckage area that was shown to his left. That left him to raise an eyebrow at the sight of them before he started to cautiously walk his way over with his hands showing tension in their grasp.

"Wow, look at all this stuff", he whispered to himself.

He crouched down and saw some of the lower elements of the "wreckage" for himself. In front of him were golden saucers, wax candles, a few quills and scrolls complete with sloppy precursor writing on them, and a shining purple object wedged between the middle.

"Wait a minute- MORE dark eco crystals?"

He gave off a light blink at the sight of it, before bringing out a hand and pulling the crystal out from its position. The cold structures of it were easily felt upon his hands, leaving him to quickly place it on a nearby table. With a light sigh, he then started to search through the wreckage for any other items within.

It wasn't until a few seconds later that he was able to pull out a small stringed sack; at the sight of it he gave off a light smile, leaving him to pick up the crystal once more and slip it inside, tying it inside its temporary prison. While he placed it inside his pocket... something else managed to catch his eye.

"Hang on a sec... what is this?"

He looked upon the walls beyond the wreckage, and saw into a small photograph hanging in the darkness. There, he walked towards it, ready to see into it for himself. His eyes then started to show more tension than open acceptance, quivering within their positions in the darkness.

He then looked closely towards the photo for himself; one half was still shown to be kept within the darkness, while the other half was shown to be Crista's humanoid form. The sight of her left him to open his jaw right at the very sight of her appearance.

"Crista...? And what's wrong with the other side?"

He looked around as carefully as he can, looking for a light source. And yet, something struck him; the energies of the Metal Head Skull Gems. He started to roam within his backpack, pulling out the gem he picked up from the early exhibitions around the manor.

Once there he showed it in front of the picture, wanting to take a closer focus towards it. And yet... he then noticed the true qualities behind the picture. The side with Crista was shown to be in a reasonable condition, while the other side was shown to be burnt off, with nothing but black burn marks covering that part of the image up.

He then sighed, before placing the photo and the gem into his backpack. After that he brought himself back on both feet, looking around at his surroundings once more. Nothing much to take of interest aside from a few candle holders without any wax candles. With that in mind, he turned around and left the scene behind.

---

Back at the ballroom, Crista soon managed to stop crawling underneath the chairs, and eventually found a position near the back. Once there, she ended up crouching into a small ball, hoping to keep herself as far hidden from the specter as she possibly could.

The ghost ottsel himself, however, was then seen going up the center aisle, bringing his attention to each of the rows in detail, while hovering an inch above the ground at the same time. Then, he managed to come further and further towards the back, where the sound of shaking was brought to his own ears.

Over there, he then turned towards the right, seeing into the furthest row there. He then saw the yellow ottsel cowering in her position; there, he gave out a light smile, before he carefully came towards her, bringing his arm carefully over her back once he was there.

"There is no need to worry, Crista", he said in a reassuring tone.

"Aah! He speaks!" she screamed as she brought herself up onto both feet. "And... he knows my name! I'M SCARED!!!"

It was there that she managed to hurdle across the chairs, trying to keep herself out of the way of the ghost ottsel as far as she could go. But... during her run, she ended up tripping over one of the front rows of seats, causing her to be sent flying into the air, before sliding on the dance floor on her chest.

She moaned with pain due to the force behind the fall, but while that happened, the ghost ottsel couldn't help but smile at her actions, before he briskly hovered his way towards her. The sight of his body left her to show a more unsure expression upon her own eyes.

"Why are you afraid?" he asked her. "There is no need to be so, for we are entities in our own right."

"How do you know so much about me?"

She showed a more unsure expression upon her own two eyes, while the ghost ottsel was shown to be giving off a more peaceful smile. He then crouched down to her level, and placed one of his hands under her chin, leaving her to focus her eyes towards it with a shaky gesture.

"I have been watching you for a while now, my dear. And yet, I have understood everything that went in that troubled mind of yours."

Crista's fur almost turned white. "How is it possible? I've never seen you before."

"I don't have time to explain as of yet."

He then brought himself up to his feet once more, before he started hovering his way across the dance floor once more, with a more sorrow-based expression upon him. During that time, Crista managed to bring herself up onto both feet, dusting herself off from the fall.

"As far as I know, I've been guarding over this mansion from the Metal Heads that have recently attacked it", he said while bringing his hands to one another. "I have no idea what they want with the dark eco crystals, but it seems as if they are desperate upon sucking away the planet's energy. I shouldn't be surprised. When I was alive I faced a lot of those problems myself."

Crista gave off a nod. "I understand."

She looked on at the ghost ottsel's appearance, and thought about what his time might have been during his life span. Could he have been scarred underneath the cape of his? Is the metallic headgear hiding something? Was he a humanoid to begin with, but killed as an ottsel?

Those and many more questions started to roam through her mind, leaving her to look closely towards the ottsel for himself. She then came towards him with a more determined expression than before, trying to reach for his hands... yet, they were hard to grasp upon for her.

"Is there something we can do to help you out?" she asked.

The ghost ottsel then tried to speak, but... that was soon before the sound of opening doors managed to bring his attention. Crista's ears also managed to prick up, as she looked back at the door that she managed to come through to begin with.

Standing there was a shadow as portrayed on a bright background of white light, holding onto a small sack of sorts. He was then seen steadily walking his way towards both ottsels, with a smirk starting to show upon his almost shadowed face.

And it wasn't long until he managed to reach the spotlights for himself, with his bold wastelander-based features almost coming into place. These familiar structures managed to leave Crista to give off a light smile at the very sight of him in front of her eyes.

"Damus?"

He gave off a nod, before he came towards the spotlights for himself, seeing into Crista in full motion. While she gave off a warm smile at him, the ghost ottsel just gave off a curious eye twitch towards him, leaving Damus to widen his eyes at the sight of him.

All three figures remained in silence for a few seconds, allowing the winds from above the building to blow above them, ringing in their ears if need so. Then, Damus pointed on at the ghost ottsel, while looking almost confused by its general appearance.

"What in the Precursors is that thing?" Damus asked while pointing at the specter.

"Let's just call it the 'Phantom of the Opera'", Crista twitched back.

She gave off a warm smirk as she placed both hands behind her head, with her tail starting to twitch from side to side. That left both Damus and the ghost to look on at her with agitated expressions on their own faces, unimpressed by her sense of humor.

Soon after that, Damus then walked on towards Crista and picked her up, resting her against his plated shoulders. They both soon looked on at the ghost ottsel together, who managed to show a curious expression straight back towards the pair.

"Still, what do you suppose he's doing here?" Damus questioned.

"He's told us that he's been staying here, guarding over two dark eco crystals that rested within this house", the blonde ottsel responded while using hand gestures at the same time. "We know the first one through the Christmas tree, but the second?"

"Here, I managed to find it", he smiled back at her.

He brought out the small sack, and used one of his hands to open it up and reveal the dark eco crystal he managed to find. He then placed the sack upon Crista's hands, which started to glow at the same status as the star that was placed upon the pine tree in the previous room.

"You're not an alliance with the Metal Heads, are you?" the ghost ottsel asked Damus. "Because if you are..."

"No, we're not", Crista interrupted. "We're on the same level as you; we just want to see the Metal Heads gone, after what they have managed to do to our own lives."

Crista gave off a smile as she placed the sack back within Damus's hands. Once that was done, she managed to climb down from his shoulders, landing firmly upon the ground and showing a cat-like gesture upon her hands and feet as she did so.

She soon managed to reach the ghost ottsel himself, whom tried to reach for one of her own hands, but... in a true supernatural fashion, his hands went straight through hers. During that gesture, Crista couldn't help but chuckle lightly to herself.

"We can't take him with us though", panicked Damus. "I can probably sense through his scars that something is wrong with this guy!"

"Please, calm down your majesty!" she responded back with a smile. "Just because he's hurt on the inside doesn't mean he can't help us, right?"

She smiled lightly while looking on at his basic structure. The slopped "headgear" upon the right hand side of his head. The cape that went around his neck. A fair amount of facial hair placed around his nose and mouth. And a brown-red eye showing in place. The structures left her eyes to widen at the sight of them.

"Come to think of it", she paused, "you seem to remind me of someone...!"

She gave off a light smile towards him, whom gave off a curious blink back at her. It wasn't long until he took a grasp upon his shoulders, stroking her gently as she managed to do so. Then, they both started to make their way away from the dance floor and towards the door they came through.

Meanwhile, Damus noticed onto the comfort between the pair, and it was there that he showed a curious glance towards them both. He then started to walk behind them, keeping his eyes on them in sequence. Crista. The ghost ottsel. Almost anything could go, he thought to himself.

And as they left the ballroom, the lights as shown on the stage soon managed to die down, eventually showering the ballroom into a temporary siege of darkness. And yet... before he closed the door, a pyre fly flew into the room, showing a small element of light in the darkness.

---

Several minutes soon passed since the ballroom of the mansion was left alone. During that time, Crista, Damus and the ghost ottsel that roamed around the building were seen leaving the building together, trying to hold onto one another as they managed to do so.

Yet, Damus's expressions continually shifted back and forth between the two ottsels, leaving him to show a curious expression upon his glance. It seemed as if they both knew each other before to his eyes, but where could he point it out?

His thoughts were soon ceased as they made their way back into the decorated balcony once more. The Christmas tree still stood firmly underneath them, showing a delicate motion through its position upon the lower areas of the room. The dark eco star on top of it gave off a warm purple light towards them, reflecting upon their faces.

"So you're saying that he's been responsible for guarding the Eco Crystals in this house from the Metal Heads?" Damus asked Crista. "Where did you presume he found them anyway?"

"I'll answer that question", smiled the specter.

The ghost ottsel stepped forward, while bringing his eye back and forth between two objects - the small sack in Damus's hand, and the star on top of the pine tree. He gave off a light smile, before he started hovering down the stairs, keeping his attention focused upon his surroundings.

"I found them alone in the wasteland. It was there when I saw that their mysterious energies must have a link to the Metal Head behavior. But what, I am yet to find out."

Crista gave off a light nod. "I can understand."

She lightly smiled back towards the ottsel, before she started to make her way closely towards the staircase. Once there, she climbed onto the rail, and slid down it in a surfer motion. That left Damus to catch up with the others by just walking down normally.

Once at the bottom, they looked on at the scenery around them. The tinsel, eco lights, pine tree and pyre flies were all in place, asking for a welcoming visit from anyone. The sight of it left Crista's face to show curiosity as she turned back towards the ghost ottsel.

"But I'm even more surprised on how you remained optimistic throughout all this, what with the Christmas decorations and all."

The spirit chuckled. "You never can tell what the power of the Precursors can provide to the planet, even in this atrocious state."

He responded with a light shrug of the shoulders, while making his way around the other side of the tree, keeping his calm expression as firm as possible. While hovering over there, he saw into a small window in the corner, providing a strong element of moon light towards the scene.

"The more faith you have towards your following, the sooner this world will be at peace once more. That's my motto."

"Yeah, but the Metal Heads keep coming back after endless slaughter!" growled Damus. "How the heck can we be at peace?"

"Patience, comrade. If you don't keep the faith, you understand that this world will be as lost as you'd make it."

Damus looked on with a light blink. He thought about the ottsel's words long and hard, even though to his view it didn't seem to make much sense. As far as time goes, most people seemed to lose their support over the Precursors long ago, feeling uncertain over the sudden pain that was flowing across the world.

Bearing those emotions in mind, he tried to open his mouth to speak, but before he could even do so... Crista jumped upon his shoulders and brought out one of her own hands to suddenly silence him. His expression showed a more unsure gesture as he brought his eyes towards her.

"Don't even say it", she whispered.

All that Damus could do was look on in silence. He then provided a focus towards Crista's thoughtful expression; could it have been, that he and her both seemed to be thinking the same thing at that time? Silence soon passed, leaving them both to look closer into each other's gaze.

While that happened, their expressions soon turned to determination, as them both started to look into the scenery ahead of them. They showed expressions filled with more certainty upon them, as the stars from outside continued to shine brightly towards them.

Silence came around them all, knowing that they have soon managed to clear their mission of exploring the household and grabbing its treasures. They then looked on at the dark eco star, ready to take a grasp from its position from above, but... that was before a few footsteps were heard.

"Wait a minute", Crista gasped. "Did I hear something back there?"

"Sounds suspicious to me", responded Damus.

She pointed towards a nearby shadow as shown near the entrance from the hallway leading into the manor. Over there, a light sound of growling was shown within the darkness, leaving Damus to show a shaky expression while bringing out his own gun.

"Come on out with your hands in the air, you common thieves! We'd make mincemeat of you as soon as you step on out!"

"Damus, please!" Crista shrieked. "They could be wanderers for all you know!"

She stepped in front of him, waving her hands in the air, trying to block Damus from shooting. But... he responded by using his foot to almost kick her out of the way, while she herself managed to dash away from his actions just in time. That left her to show shock upon her own face.

And thus, he fired his gun straight towards the shadow, causing the sound of a roar to show within the darkness. And from out of there, came a few blue-purple creatures covered with metallic plating all over their bodies. The sight of them left their expressions to show fear. For they were seen to be face to face with a group of Metal Heads.

"Then again... maybe not", she whispered to herself."

"By the Precursors", shrieked the specter. "What are they doing?"

They were seen running their way around the room, scavenging for every detail they could hope for. Some of the flying ones tore down some of the tinsel decorations out of their own frustration, and some of the smaller ones were left to scavenge on the floor while leaving scratches upon the tiles.

And yet, some of the more skilled climbers managed to reach the top of the staircase, looking on at the pine tree as they managed to do so. Other creatures of their caliber waited at the base of the tree, with their eyes focused on one sole object - the star-shaped dark eco crystal.

They brought out their dagger-like claws, ready to cut into the tree for themselves. And thus, it seemed as if the tree's time has managed to cut itself short. During that time, Crista's expression continued to show more uncertainty at the very sight of their actions.

"It looks as if they're fighting hard for that Crystal", she gasped. "How can it be possible?"

"I'm going in!"

The ghost ottsel hovered his way up the stairs once more, with his arms aiming towards the tree as he managed to speed his way further along. From down below, both Crista and Damus showed expressions filled with panic, unsure about what would happen as soon as he reached the stairs.

And when he did, he managed to meander past some of the Metal Head attacks, before hovering his way to the top of the tree. Once there, he started to reach for the star in his own two hands. Meanwhile, Crista's face showed concern as she herself took a step forward.

"You'll get hurt!"

"What's the point?" the ghost responded back. "You know that I'm dead anyway."

"Point taken?"

Damus's expression started to show surprise, while Crista started to show a blush upon her lower portions of her face. While that happened, the ottsel brought out both hands, trying to wrap its gesture around the crystal. A bolt of purple energy soon started to show through his body at that stage.

There, the crystal was soon locked between his own hands, leaving his face to show a light smile upon his own face. The crystal soon managed to take a firm grasp within his own two hands, leaving him to hover back towards the stairs with it, its light still showing through his own body.

"Got it!"

"That's it!" Crista smiled. "Keep it in hiding!"

The ghost ottsel continued to smile as he tried to hover his way away from the Metal Heads, whom both seemed to be focused upon the star more than ever. They then started to chase the ghost ottsel all around the room, trying to reach the crystal from his grasp.

They brought out their claws to try and swipe him away from the crystal, but... no matter how many times they tried to do so they ended up with their claws going straight through the specter's body, leaving him to almost chuckle at the sight of their actions.

"Stop it, it tickles!"

He then smiled before he ended up hovering his way back up towards the top of the landing once more. By that time, the Metal Head swarm was then shown to be getting slightly exhausted by their gestures. That left both Crista and Damus to exchange chuckles with one another.

While that happened, the spirit soon managed to reach the position of the tree that it once was on before. There, he ended up gesturing on at both Crista and Damus, whom ended up with determined looks upon their own faces. That left the specter's expressions to show a more unsure expression towards the pair.

"Now what do you suppose we do?"

"You keep a hold onto the crystal while we fend off against those buggers", Crista smirked. "I feel it's our only chance."

Damus showed a confident expression back. "We'll knock them out!"

Damus showed a joyful expression upon his own face, before he brought out his own gun, aiming them towards the Metal Heads. Silence then managed to creep around him, leaving him to think that his time around the Manor of the Haunted Star was about to cease, whether it be win or lose.

And thus, fate was about to clash. Will Crista and Damus escape with the dark eco crystal? Will the Metal Head armies be reduced once more? And what will become of the ghost ottsel at the end of all this?

Those questions, and a few more, started to roam around their minds as they were about to begin their encounter.

-end of part 2-


	3. Revelation

-AUTHOR NOTES-

First of all, I thank all readers/comments approaching the past part. Now I understand from one of which about the possibilities of Christmas on a planet other than Earth. Before I go in depth with the next part, I can tell you that it IS possible. Let's go through a few examples –

MARIO – Christmas references aren't that closely regarded, but when they're there they do well to lighten up the spirit upon it. A reference to this holiday is shown at the end of "Rise of the Mushroom Kingdom 2" at should you want to take a look there.

SPYRO – Rumors have passed that in the recent title "A Hero's Tail" there is a Christmas tree standing in one of the snowy levels. (I saw a wallpaper with that aspect somewhere.) And considering the Dragon World isn't a realm on Earth, that makes that a more possible entry.

GEX – This may be a bit more of a silly example, but the Media Dimension (again, not a place on Earth) was thought to have a lot of levels relating to specific TV shows. There were three Christmas levels in there, so I suppose that aspect had to count.

I hope this explains as such. oO

Anyhow, I might as well be brief with the description for the final part; it takes us through to the Metal Head ambush as shown by the end of the last part. Will Crista, Damus and the ghost-ottsel get out alive? I think reading is believing, fokes. ;)

This may be the last fanfic I might publish here unless my University campus actually wants to link to again. Because of those people I could barely upload anything, and I've had to rely on someone else's net wizardry to upload the previous part!

But I hope you can all sit back, relax, and enjoy the conclusion.

Peace out,

-Rexy-

---

The silence that was around the main room of the Manor of the Fallen Star occurred for several moments at a time, with Crista and Damus on one side of the room, and a whole army of Metal Heads on the other. Then, Damus soon managed to break the silence by pulling the trigger of his own gun.

A few shots went out, striking the chests of a few of his opponents and sending them straight onto the floor, being drowned of their life.

At the same time, the ghost ottsel managed to hover his way among the upper balcony. Once he was up there, he climbed his way up several shelves that lead towards the top of the room, sitting firmly in a more secure location while looking on at the fighting from down below.

While that happened, some of the smaller Metal Heads started to surround Crista, whom started to show a devious smirk back at them. With that motion in mind, she brought back both of her fists and took a step back, her teeth showing a vicious snarl as she did so.

"Take this!" Crista shouted back.

She brought forward her fists, knocking the Metal Heads to the other side of the room in an instant. She soon managed to catch up, stepping over a few broken tiles on the floor, hurdling over the fallen Christmas tree and rolling underneath a few gun shots to match.

"Be careful, Crista!" Damus commanded. "Those morons could pierce a hole in your fur!"

Crista refused to listen. She continued to fight onwards, hoping to inflict further damage towards her opponents, using her paws and tail in open fighting gestures at whenever she could. That left Damus to continue shooting from his own position, his face maintaining his focused expression.

While that happened, a few monsters came into his eyesight all at once, ready to show their ferocious motions upon him. He then started shooting his gun in a more rapid fire motion around him, striking them straight into their own chests as he managed to do so.

"Steeerike!"

He gave out a sinister smirk, before he started to walk his way towards a few more. But... during that time, a few of which attacked him from behind, almost trying to strangle him from their positions on his back. From up above, the ghost ottsel started to show concern.

"Damus, be careful!"

"I'm trying my best!" he shouted back. "It's just that I've faced enough gun shooting problems in a lifetime!"

He then started to spin around, trying to wrestle some of the creatures from off his back. But that left him to end up tripping over the pine tree as he did so, landing flat on his face as he did so. That left his body to be almost swarmed by various smaller Metal Heads, chewing away at his face and armor.

That left Crista's expression to show shock from her position. From there, she started to dash her way towards the rubble for herself, and brought herself into a spinning motion to force some of the mass from off Damus's body. That left him to smile from his position, knowing he was in hope.

"I'll cover you!" she shouted towards him.

She smiled while looking on at the remaining Metal Heads that have managed to surround her. During that time, she brought out her paws and used them to pounce at several of the smaller ones, almost bringing them down in an almost harmless battle to her.

She then noticed a few of the bigger and stronger creatures coming towards her from behind, leaving her to perform a backwards flip in the air before seating herself on the back of one of the creatures. Over there, she pulled off the shoulder plates for the monster almost harmlessly, and using her fists to slam it straight onto the floor, struggling to reclaim its strength.

"Strike doooown!"

She gave out a light smirk, before she started to look at the three remaining Metal Heads in the room. Both of which seemed to be four times the size of her, and their fangs were shown to be in a more devilish motion to surpass the nature of their comrades.

"Never fear the power of an ottsel, you idiots!" she cackled deviously.

"No, you're just going too far!"

She looked up and saw into the ghost ottsel hovering above her, showing a more panicked gesture upon his face. While that happened, she turned away, and continued to look on at the three beasts around her. They aimed their scepters towards her, showering the room with yellow bolts of energy, leaving her to fight on easily.

She then continued to roam on, hoping to reach the monsters in time. And in time she did, leaping on the back of one of which, leaving one of the Metal Heads to accidentally shoot it before it could ever reach her. That one managed to crumple into pieces upon the floor.

"Crista! Get out of there!" Damus commanded towards her.

"I can fight on, trust me!"

She gave off a strong glance upon the remaining two Metal Heads, which ended up shooting in a lot of directions. While that happened, the shots from their scepters continued to cover the room, almost hitting Damus before he took cover behind the stairwell.

Again, Crista leapt upon one of the monsters, leaving one of the Metal Heads to shoot its partner accidentally. It was there that she knew there was one Metal Head remaining, and for her, it seemed to be now or never. She then managed to run to the back of the room, sliding in a 180 degrees spin before she started going ahead once more.

"LE COUP DE GRACE!!!"

There, she managed to run straight towards the creature, with a fearless expression easily showing upon her two eyes. Several gunshots soon managed to get past her, almost singeing her fur slightly as she managed to dodge them. Her face continued to show determination upon her.

Both Damus and the ghost ottsel could only watch from the background, uncertain over what destiny could have over Crista's fighting gesture. While that happened, she reached her opponent and was about to kick him in the mouth, while at the same time it aimed a strong flash of golden energy from its scepter.

And as soon as time passed, the light from the scepter managed to escape from the scene, instantly causing an explosion to show upon the scene. The force went straight through the bodies of all entities that managed to go through it, leaving them to be brought into a white abyss around them for a few minutes.

Soon after that, the lights soon started to fade out around them, leaving the room to be eventually shrouded into a light scale of darkness. All that was used to provide lighting was a few surviving pyre flies, hovering their way around the room. They soon managed to surround a few select spots on their own.

Those locations have included the fallen Christmas tree, with its lights sliding off its branches, as well as the lying positions for Crista and Damus upon the floor and a few Metal Head plates and bones. A few golden sparks were seen going across the floor, yet there seemed to be no sign of the ghost ottsel anywhere.

Within the wreckage, Damus's hand started to stir, and it wasn't long until he lifted himself up into the air, his face covered with cuts and bruises. He looked upon his surroundings; blurry to his own eyes, but he soon managed to stand up firmly onto both feet, relieved that the fight was over.

"Wow, what a blow..."

He positioned himself carefully into a standing position, yet no matter he straight he tried to be, he ended up staggering around in his position. For that, he brought out a hand and rested upon the walls while trying his best to catch his breath from after the battle.

He then brought his attention towards Crista upon the floor, her body looking limp and lifeless from his position and angle. With a shaky expression, he soon managed to carefully walk his way back towards her, hoping to see into herself in full motion.

"Crista?"

He stepped over the fallen pine tree, before reaching her from an inch away. Once there, he brought his hands upon her back, feeling a sudden cold texture upon her fur. His eyes and ears both showed shock upon his face, leaving him to crouch to her level.

"Crista, are you alright?"

He used his hands to turn her body over like a spring roll. Her arms were left to scrape upon the floor like a rag doll, and her facial expression was shown to be at peace - eyes closed, and with a light smile showing upon her. Hints of color were also drained away from the lower portions of her face.

That left Damus to show panic at the sight of her, as he brought one of his ears over her chest, hoping to see into a response from her. But... there wasn't. No breathing. No heartbeat. Absolutely nothing at all. With that, he lowered his head, revealing an expression of sadness.

"This can't be... you had to sacrifice yourself against them? Please... please don't let it be so!"H

e brought her body up towards her chest, bringing it into a hugging motion around her. While that happened, he continued to express deep sorrow upon his own expression, with his feelings showing that he has lost a true companion upon him.

While that happened, a few golden sparks started to rise from the ground, almost covering him with light yellow energy during his time of his unwanted expressions. While that happened, a small tear started to show upon his eye, bringing itself down one of his cheeks.

"I just wish I didn't underestimate you prior to the mission. If only if I knew sooner that this would happen..."

He then gave out a light sigh, burrowing his face deep within her fur. While that happened, more golden sparks started to surround him, eventually starting to cause a light gale around him, blowing his dreadlocks and clothes gently within the breeze that passed.

The force then continued to show itself into a stronger force, almost covering them both in a manner of bright goldenrod energy. During that time, the sparks took up a more energetic form that soon managed to shoot their way across their bodies.

"Crista..." Damus gasped to himself. "Crista..."

Damus's legs soon started to quiver into jelly, leaving his shadow upon the light to almost crouch down uneasily. His arms then flopped in front of him, leaving Crista's body to fall in front of him. And then, it was there that he soon managed to collapse onto the ground, lying upon the left hand side of his body.

The energetic forces continued to surround them, showing their enthusiastic gestures upon both of them. And then, the light from the scene soon managed to flash straight around the room, with the sound of chimes reflecting upon the walls nearly endlessly.

The lights soon started to fade out, revealing the room to a more spacious and natural matter. All rubble was clear from the floor, and the room felt as fresh as if no one ever stepped inside it. And there... Crista's eyes opened up, seeing into the pleasant scenery around her.

"Damus?"

She then brought out both of her hands, bringing herself back up onto both feet once more. During that time, she looked further ahead, seeing around the sight around her. She looked behind her, and saw that the pine tree was restored into its natural standing order, as if it had never been torn down in the first place.

Then, she went towards Damus, his body lying upon the floor for himself in an unconscious state. While that happened, she brought her hands towards his face, feeling upon the texture on the surface. Warmth and color were still there, leaving her to show a light smile at him.

"Damus, are you okay?" she said in a deep tone.

"He's alright."

The voice of the ghost ottsel was brought among her own ears. She looked to the left of the room, then to the right, and then in all sorts of different directions. Yet no matter how far she could go, she couldn't see him anywhere, leaving her face to show some slight unease.

And then, she ended up seeing into a light set of white energy hovering from above her. Its shape looked so similar to the ghost ottsel, and even there his voice managed to fit the same tone. She looked on at him, wanting to understand the answer to everything.

"He's just frozen in time, as far as I know", he said confidently. "It's just that he has seen too much of what has occurred to us both over the past few moments or so."

She lightly blinked back at him, before she brought her attention towards the scenery behind her. King Damus, in spite of him still being alive, was still seen in a state that would leave him uncertain to know about his true surroundings. The sight left him to face the white essence once more.

That in itself suddenly started to show itself as a more majestic rat-like figure than before, almost as if the particles around it were starting to undergo a transformation. She then walked closer towards the essence, while pointing on at Damus's body as she next raised her mouth to speak.

"Whichever is the case, can you bring him back onto his feet?" she asked him.

"I can, but it may have to be a wait."

The essence then showed itself into a more unclear form, of no distinct color. While that happened, Crista looked back at Damus's motionless body once more, giving off a light smile towards him. Then, she in herself brought herself down onto her knees, bringing her focus upon the specter for herself.

"Whichever has happened, you have done a lot to me already, by restoring my life and helpingus protect the crystals from the Metal Heads", she said confidently. "I really need to repay the favor. Anything!"

Her eyes started to show a more unsure nature upon her, determined to see what the figure would come out with. And there, the figure started to show itself to be a more human-like proportion, almost reflecting upon her eyes with wonder and enchantment.

"I wish that can be possible, but..." the voice paused. "You have already done a lot for me."

"Huh?"

And there, the light around the essence itself started to change, from its white color straight to an essence of sky blue. A bright flash was given off from it, leaving her to bring up one of her own arms, shielding herself away from the light, feeling unsure about what has managed to happen.

There, the figure itself managed to take shape. And it was there that it was soon formed as a humanoid shape, the same species for Damus. And there, some of its key features soon started to highlight upon itself. The cape around its shoulders. The metal plating towards one side of his face. The eye shape. And the facial hair brought under his nose.

Then, it started to show itself with fuller colors, granting more elements of light energy around him. No longer was he one sky blue color, but he soon showed himself to have peachy skin, deep navy clothing around his body, and armor showing upon a few portions of his body. His sightings left Crista to gasp at the sight of him.

"Oh my Goodness...!" she gasped with shock.

"Yes, it's me."

He then hovered down to her level, and once there, he brought out a hand, ready to reach out for her. She looked onto his face, seeing into his figure in full light. And that was shown to be a face that she never thought she'd see once more; one that she knew during her time as a humanoid.

"Baron Praxis? You're..." She paused. "You're here? How can it be?"

"I don't have much time to explain."

At the sound of his voice, a few tears started to flood upon her face, only this time, they were expressing emotions of happiness upon her. She tried to bring herself around his spiritual body into a hug, but... she ended up losing her balance and falling through him.

She then looked up from her position, seeing the spiritual essence hover closer towards the ground, with tension starting to show through his one remaining eye. He tilted his face towards her angle, and lightly smiled back towards her as he did so.

"Due to the war granted by the Metal Heads, I never really had time for eternal rest", he sighed with sorrow. "I'm not surprised; neither did most of the other people I know during my time."

"I can understand what you mean by that", smiled Crista. "But..."

She soon managed to stand up on both feet, her eyes starting to show a lot of uncertainty through her own expression. Then, she ended up seeing into his eye from her angle-based position, willing to see into more answers lying within her own mind.

"How can we truly bring this war to a close?" she asked. "They've granted a lot of pain to us all already."

"I still don't understand the answers as of yet", sighed the Baron. "Even now, Haven City has undergone a ferocious siege relating to the war, and it may take a period of time before order can naturally be restored. If you can keep fighting on, and believing in the Precursors, then you'll see that someday the nightmare will end."

He smiled on towards Crista, before using his own two hands to carefully lift her up into the air. While that happened, her hair started to blow in the wind, with images of her humanoid form casting in the light behind her. Her eyes focused upon her lost partner, waiting to see into another response from him.

And there, it wasn't long until she was carefully placed, back towards the front door leading out towards the mansion. While that happened, she ended up looking closer towards Praxis once more, whom soon managed to swerve his way towards the front door for himself.

"Can you please stay by my side and offer guidance to this?" Crista pleaded. "You know that I can't wander around Spargus alone, let alone survive a war!"

"I have understood your call; however most of your calling is for you to understand yourself."

And as if in a flash, his spiritual body started to reform itself into a blur. The sight of the transformation left her eyes to start panicking at the sight. Then, the essence then started to zoom down the corridor in a flash, starting to bring itself far away from her.

She then started to run as far as she could, thus she tried her best to catch up with his level. She then ran down the hallway she came from, with the few skull gems showing up to gradually light the way for her. She extended her hands out, trying to reach for him once more.

"Please, don't go!" she screamed towards him. "I need you!"

"Remember to believe in the Precursors..."

And there, the blur itself suddenly started to transform into a blur of white light once more, before using that as a stronger light source to guide Crista out from the room. The energy behind it soon reflected upon her own eyes, almost obscuring her path if not done right.

"Grant me my assistance, please! Any way you can!"

She continued to run, although she seemed to be uncertain upon where she was trying to run, and how she was trying to get there. With one arm used to block the light force, and the other to try and reach for the spiritual essence, it seemed as if she was struggling to get through her own grasp.

And it wasn't long until the texture on the ground started to show a more different texture, leaving her to take footing onto a new patch of ground altogether. Even there, the light sources seemed to remain the same, leaving her to try and continue to reach for the light essence ahead of her.

The problem was... the light essence soon ended up to be further away from her than she once thought.

---

The white flash then faded out, leaving her to see into the scenery from around her once more. Over there, Spargus was seen facing a set of lilac-crimson skies around it. She looked towards the East, and saw the sun starting to show itself over the mountains.

With that, she gave off a blink, before she looked around from her position. She was shown in the manor's front garden, as gritty as it was when she first saw it. Shrubs were seen sparking everywhere, developing within the ground around her. She looked from one place in the other, still determined to keep her eyes focused upon Praxis's ghost.

Several minutes passed, and after a lot of aimless searching... she soon brought her head down, almost desperate to give up. She brought herself over a small wall, perching herself over one of the edges and looking straight ahead of her. Not a single star seemed to be still around at that moment in time.

"Where are you?" she whispered to herself.

Her voice was soon carried over through the cold wind, with warm air starting to drift through the breeze. She looked down, with her hair instantly obstructing her view from the world around her. Her looks seemed to be as if she was lost in an endless maze that she couldn't break out of.

She then looked on at the doors behind her from her position, bringing her light expression back into full light once more. But... there, she ended up seeing that the doors leading inside the mansion were shown to be slightly open once more, leading her to show an expression of tension.

"Oh no, Damus!!!"

She then jumped down from the wall, and was about to run right inside it for herself, but... once there, she ended up seeing into a shadow stepping out from inside it. And that showed himself in full light to be Damus, looking refreshed from the whole attack.

"Crista, how did you... what did you..." his expression showed confusion. "What happened?"

"Huh?"

"I thought you were dead the last time I saw you! How?"

Crista lightly blushed to herself. "I'm still trying to figure out everything myself."

She looked down at herself, seeing her shadow gradually shorten as the daylight start to show upon her. While that happened, Damus took a light step forward, looking onto the light ahead of him which soon reflected upon his own two eyes.

"Could it be the power of the Precursors?" Damus asked.

"Maybe, but... all I know is that we've managed to clear our own mission", she smiled. "What do you suppose we do with the crystals?"

"I'll put it with the rest and analyze them further. It'll be a long while until this war is over, but this mission could mean the start of something big."

He smiled on towards her, while taking a hold of the star-shaped eco crystal from Crista's grasp. Once there, he placed it inside the sack with the other smaller crystal, and that left him to start walking down the long path towards his palace home.

Crista gave off a light smile, before she started to follow him with her own expression showing joy and happiness to match. But... it wasn't long until Damus came to a light stop in his tracks, bringing his attention towards his partner. He gave off a devious smirk while doing so.

"Then again I might take a break for Christmas."

Crista couldn't help but chuckle. "You said it!"

She threw her hands in the air, leaving Damus to give off a light chuckle, as they both soon managed to sprint their way down the pathway together. The cold air suddenly started to brush themselves against their skin, but even there it didn't hinder their performance too much.

By the time they reached the crossroads leading towards the castle, Damus was left to run towards it alone, while Crista stood in the center, waving towards him from her position. And as soon as he left her eyesight, she started to leave the sight for herself, taking the left hand side of the crossroad.

As the dawn of a new day soon started to unfold, the visions of the past experience soon started to show upon her mind, ready to show a lot of peace, relief and happiness upon her mind once more. A small snowflake soon fell upon the ground, and even if it did melt soon afterwards, she smiled at the sight of it. Indeed, the experience could end up being the start of something big.

---

The day soon managed to pass on, and it was there that the people around Spargus soon managed to fill the streets once more, determined to see the days pass on further and further. The sun in the sky may feel to be a bit colder in comparison to the past few days, but it soon reflected strongly upon their armor.

While some of which soon managed to leave the city, ready to hunt down more Metal Heads, a few of which managed to stay behind and open up their own trading spots for other wastelanders to come in and possess their own material, glad to see that a normal day was about to unfold.

During that time, a few smaller humanoids were seen roaming around in the streets, playing with one another; chasing, hugging one another, playing games... you name it, they managed to do so, adding to the lively atmosphere that was brought around them.

Sitting near a few children playing games, was a small ruined flat hidden near the North West area of the city. There, Crista was seen walking her way towards it, ready to settle into it once more. Bags started to form under her eyes, knowing that she was set to face a day to recover.

And as soon as she stepped in, she saw the empty room that she was granted with. Once there, she stretched her arms, and placed herself inside a nearby basket, ready to catch up on the hours of sleep that she missed during the course of the mission.

---

Several hours passed, and it wasn't long until the sunset colors soon managed to pass upon the sky, although only faintly. Inside the building, Crista was seen nearly tossing and turning through her own position. And it wasn't long until she ended up sitting up, stretching her arms and yawning as she did so.

She opened her eyes, expecting to see an empty room once more, but... that was when she suddenly noticed that the room was suddenly painted a bright gold color. She gave off a curious blink at the sight of it, causing her eyes to widen, and her posture to bring herself into a standing motion.

She then looked up at the ceiling, and saw sights of tinsel hanging upon her ceiling. She then paid attention towards her own door leading into her small room, and it was there where she saw a holly wreath attached straight onto it. At the sight of those features, her jaw almost dropped to the ground.

"What is this?"

She then started to look into the individual corners around her. Near one of her window sills, a small snow globe showing a flut flut playing around a winter paradise was seen, and with more tinsel running underneath there was shown to be a lot of life granted upon it.

To its right was a coffee table, and on there stood a few ornaments - a humanoid variation on father Christmas standing with a creature that looked like a crossbreed between a yakow and a reindeer. And there was a snowman figure sitting right next to them, with a string outstretched from his hat - it was shown to be a novelty candle.

She then paid attention towards the furthest corner of the room, where a nearby Christmas tree was seen resting upon the walls. Underneath it, a few parcels were seen shown upon the ground, showing labels as written by a few residents around Spargus itself.

"I didn't remember setting all this lot up! Who did this? Own up!"

She gave off a light blink as she started to inspect the labels carefully. Most of which came from some of the people she knew around the city and from the outskirts slightly, most especially from people like Damus, Kleever and Seem among a few others.

She then started to look on at the tree from her position, and it was there that she saw that more tinsel was wrapped around it, with a replica of a dark eco star made out of sandpaper and glitter shown at the top. Multicolored baubles showed themselves around it, as did another sight that came in parallel around the tinsel.

"What are those strange lights?" she said while pointing at them.

She looked on at the lights for herself, which in themselves started to grant off a bright blue motion to begin with. Several seconds later, they faded to white, before they soon brought themselves into a golden color, and switching back to blue once more.

She brought her face closer towards one of which, so that her nose was almost touching the tip of one of the lights. So far, all that she could see was her own reflection, showing her own signs of curiosity within them. By then, a light smile started to show upon her.

She brought out another hand in order to touch it, but there, she ended up feeling a strong airy gust that started to run through her own fingers. That soon circulated through her body, causing her hair to blow lightly in the gust that was soon provided alongside it.

A light flash soon occurred within the light, before a few Precursor letters were shown in sequence, spelling out "Believe in the Precursors". She thought about the quote for herself, trying her best to remember where she has managed to hear it once before.

And judging from the events of the past night, she knew that she had found her answer.

-fin-

---

_The Manor of the Fallen Star_ is © Rexy 2004. The _Jak 3_ universe is © Naughty Dog 2004. All rights reserved.


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